The mother tongue of the Roman Empire and the lingua franca of the West for centuries afterward, Latin survives today primarily in classrooms and texts. Yet this "dead language" is unique in the influence it has exerted across centuries and continents. Juergen Leonhardt offers the story of the first "world language," from antiquity to the present.

Introduction to Latin, Second Edition is an introductory Latin textbook designed with a streamlined flow that allows it to be completed in one year. Its concise and uncluttered approach gives students what they need to master the material. Grammar is integrated within the context of reading fluency. Innovative exercises provide translation practice as well as build “instinctive skills” that prepare students for reading authentic Latin works. Features: Concise, streamlined presentation focuses on what students need to know, allowing the material to be covered in a year, even for courses which meet only three days a week Innovative exercises that go beyond the usual translation practice, engaging students with the mechanisms of the language and developing “more instinctive” skills Succinct grammatical explanations that don’t overwhelm the students with superfluous detail while also providing help for students with little or no understanding of English grammar Latin readings from ancient sources in the form of both sentences and short passages allow for students to connect with authentic Latin Practical instructions often overlooked by other textbooks, including reading a dictionary entry, reading strategies, sentence patterns, gapping, and expectations New to the Second Edition Revised order of presentation that spreads material out more evenly between the first and second halves of the book Derivatives exercises added at the end of each chapter providing practice connecting English words with their Latin roots Bridge to next level: final three chapters provide review and include longer narrative readings with minimal editing to bridge students to the next level of Latin Revised selection of readings for more appropriate level of difficulty